What If
by roca dos
Summary: They were always going to meet, Toph was sure of it. A few Taang AUs.
1. Rebuilding the Southern Air Temple

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own ATLA.**

**AN: I originally wrote this as a chapter for _Between Heaven and Earth_, but it didn't seem to really fit that story, so I'm posting it as its own little thing. Not sure I'll continue with any of these what ifs, but I had fun coming up with what's here, so you never know. Please let me know what you think! I'd love to get some feedback on these! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>What If<strong>

Sokka, Aang, and Toph climbed on Appa. Momo landed quietly next to the young Avatar, who took the reins. "Come on, buddy, we can go back to the Fire Palace now. Yip, yip."

"Suki's not going to believe it!" Sokka cried. Yet again.

"Well, if you say _that_ one more time, I'm going to take back that sword and toss it over Appa's side and I won't find it for you this time," Toph warned.

"Oh, you!" Sokka laughed, hugging the small earthbender. It wasn't like she could do much on Appa, so he hugged her longer than normal. With his other hand, he hugged his space sword. "I'm so glad you invented metalbending!" It's how she was able to pinpoint the sword's isolated location buried close to the shore.

Toph smirked, "So you've mentioned."

"Getting tired of it?" Sokka asked knowing what her reply would be before she made it.

"Never."

"Seriously though, Toph, I don't know how you found Sokka's sword," Aang yelled over his shoulder, "If it wasn't for you, we'd _still_ be looking for it." It had been Aang's fault they were there in the first place. He lost a bet to the Water Tribe warrior, but Toph took pity on the poor monk and offered to help. Of course, he'd have to be her slave for a week as payment for helping him out. Not that Aang had a problem with spending more time with Toph. Actually, lately, it was kinda his favorite thing to do.

She laid back on the saddle, her hands tucked behind her head. "What can I say? You guys lucked out by meeting me."

"Yeah, we did," Aang smiled. Then a sad thought struck him and he looked over at Toph, "What if we would've _never_ met?"

"What?" Toph snorted, "We were always going to meet, Twinkletoes."

She sounded so sure and Aang couldn't help but remember Huu's words, "In the swamp, we see visions of people we've lost, people we've loved, folks we think are gone. But the swamp tells us they're not. We're still connected to 'em. Time is an illusion and so is death."

"But what if… what if we didn't get in to Earth Rumble VI?" Aang asked. Would they have met then?

"Yeah, or what if Aang found a _different_ earthbending teacher and _still_ defeated the Loser Lord…" Sokka speculated, "How were we all gonna meet in that case?"

Toph sat up.

"A different teacher? Pfft. Like Twinkletoes coulda beat Ozai then!"

Aang scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, I don't know if I could have defeated Fire Lord Ozai without the things Toph showed me."

"You bet your bald head you couldn't!"

"Okay, I got one," Sokka looked at her, "What if…Aang _didn't_ defeat Ozai?"

Aang didn't like that possibility and frowned.

"So Aang faced the Loser Lord and lost because I didn't train him?"

Sokka nodded, "Yeah."

"Sounds about right."

"But how were we going to meet then?" Aang added. Toph wasn't sure how, but she was certain it would happen. "Or what if…there was _no_ bending?" Aang asked, thinking their meeting would definitely be unlikely then. He _really_ didn't like that possibility.

Sokka nodded, knowing they had her. "Yeah, what then? Hmm, Toph?"

Toph shook her head. "You're both noodlebrains!" she yelled and laid down again, with her hands behind her head. Sure, this was a better game than I spy — she really couldn't play that one — but she wasn't in the mood for their silly what ifs.

"We're just passing the time here, Toph, no need to get angry," Sokka said as he chewed on something. "Hey, Aang, have you ever wondered what if someone _else_ found you in that iceberg?"

Toph tuned them out. She was sure they would have met no matter the circumstances. She knew it. She couldn't explain why she felt so strongly about it, but she just _knew_. It didn't matter if Aang had never gone to Earth Rumble VI and still managed to defeat Ozai without her help (yeah, not likely!), or _failed_ to defeat Ozai because he didn't have her as a teacher (very likely!), or even if there was no bending (what? no bending? shyeah, like _that_ was even possible!). They would have met regardless, Toph was sure of it. She couldn't imagine a world where she didn't know Twinkletoes.

…

**I. Rebuilding the Southern Air Temple**

"I tried to get her to stop, but she won't listen to me, Katara!"

"Sokka, I'm trying to help the people who got hurt in that rock slide, I can't go talk to her right now."

"Talk to who?" Aang asked, stepping into the large room that had been assigned as the infirmary. He'd been gone for nearly a week. He and Appa left the others to get some much needed supplies.

"The girl making all that ruckus!" Sokka yelled.

Aang must have not been paying attention, but now that he stopped to listen, there was a steady banging not too far away. "I can go talk to her," he offered. "I'm pretty good with people," he smiled and left.

"He'd have an easier time defeating Ozai again than getting _her_ to stop," Sokka muttered.

"Sokka, stop complaining and come help me with these bandages."

…

"Um, excuse me…"

She barely heard his footsteps - they were so light! - but if this was another one of those idiots going to tell her to take it easy, Toph was ready to earthbend him off the stinking mountain.

"What!" she growled as she lifted another slab of earth to use as reinforcement on the lower level of the temple.

"Oh, well, I'm not sure if you heard, but we're done for today."

"No, _you're_ done for today. I'm not ready to stop yet. So leave me alone before this accidentally falls on your head."

With a loud crash, the slab of earth became part of the temple.

"I appreciate what you're doing, we all do, but it's late and people are tired—"

Another loud crash prevented her from hearing the rest of what he had to say. Good. Didn't these people get it? Sure, the idea of _helping_ was nice, but she was there to earthbend! When she heard what they were doing at the temple, well, it's the reason she finally up and left Omashu.

"Hey!" he yelled and had the nerve to grab her arm.

Toph made an earth pillar rise out of the earth and launch the grabby boy up into the air. "Don't touch me!"

It was quiet for a moment while she waited and listened for him to fall back on the ground. She barely sensed when he landed not too far away. He stalked over to her.

"What's your _problem_?" he asked.

"What's _your_ problem?" Toph yelled back.

"I don't have a problem! Look around, can't you see it's nighttime? People are tired and you're making a lot of noise!"

That's when she turned her face up to his. His heartbeat nearly stopped when she did so. By his startled reaction, she could tell he finally understood that no, she couldn't _look_ around or _see_.

Aang hadn't meant to insult her. No one would be able to tell she was blind by the way she earthbended, he certainly couldn't. But before he had a chance to apologize, she started talking again.

"Oh, I didn't know I was keeping the poor, tired, little people awake. Why didn't you tell me before?" she mocked, then got into her horse stance again, "I would have stopped sooner."

"Really?" he asked.

"No!" Toph yelled and threw another large slab of earth. The ground actually shook a little that time and the crash echoed in the distance.

"Look," he said, his voice a gentle tenor again. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. Let's start over, okay? I'm Aang. What's your name?"

She didn't want to talk, she wanted to earthbend, so she ignored his question.

"Your wall looks awesome, by the way."

"Of course, it does," Toph smirked, "I built it."

"How are you doing this?" Aang asked, his voice full of awe. Even Bumi, who had been forced to teach him earthbending because they'd found no one else, wasn't like her. "How do you know where everything goes?"

The only reason Toph answered him was because she didn't hear any patronizing sympathy in his voice. There was no pity in his words, just curiosity and something like wonder.

"Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing," she explained, "I see with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I feel the vibrations in the ground with my feet and I can see where everything is: you, those trees, even that small lemur approaching."

"That's...amazing!"

The lemur crawled closer to Toph.

"Oh, and that's Momo, by the way."

"'Sup?" she said by way of greeting.

"Tell you what, you leave the temple alone for tonight and I'll take you the other side of the mountain. You can earthbend all you want there and they won't be able to hear it over on this side. Deal?"

It sounded tempting. But so did a lot of things that had bad consequences. The last time she trusted someone was three years ago when she was fifteen and her parents almost married her off to a grumpy, old, rich man.

"What's in it for you?" she asked, suspicion coloring her voice.

"Nothing," he assured her, "It just seems like you're enjoying what you're doing, which is great, but I need these volunteers to rest so they can help again tomorrow."

He wasn't lying to her, she realized, and she considered his offer.

Ever since the day Aang barely managed to defeat Ozai (and only after suffering heavy casualties- Suki, Chief Hakoda, and Iroh were all lost) rebuilding everything the Fire Nation had destroyed had taken longer than he expected. He needed all the volunteers he could get!

"I can fly us there," he offered as incentive, "I have my glider! Or I can get Appa?"

"Without the flying, you got a deal."

"Alright," he laughed, "No flying. Tonight we can race there, but you'll have to let me take you flying eventually. It's so fun! How about tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

"Aw, c'mon," he prodded, "Flying's the best thing ever!"

"Who says I'm doing this again tomorrow?" she asked walking alongside him. She sounded irritated, but there was a small smile she hid from him with the help of the bangs falling across her face.

"It's just a thought," he said as casually as possible, but he couldn't contain the wide grin on his face.

She couldn't see his expression, but Aang was delighted. He was so excited to have _finally_ found her. Since that day in the swamp when he first saw a vision of the girl now walking next to him, he always wondered _when_ he'd meet her. After things didn't work out with Katara he questioned if it was because secretly he had still been holding out for the girl from the swamp. And now that she was staying in his home, helping to rebuild it, he had no doubt he'd get the chance to get to know her and maybe, just maybe, even take her flying with him one day.

"Hey, Toph?"

"Yeah?"

He swallowed the nervousness away and said, "I'm glad you're here."

She didn't look at him when she replied, "Yeah, me too."


	2. Celebrating in Ba Sing Se

**What if Aang _failed_ to defeat Fire Lord Ozai because he didn't have Toph as a teacher?**

* * *

><p><strong>II. Celebrating in Ba Sing Se<strong>

Aang held the empty platter as he walked out into a balcony. Pretending to be a busboy sure was tiring work. He hoped the others were having better luck than he finding the sympathizer Iroh told them about because Aang's feet hurt and he was feeling tired, he needed a break.

When the cool air hit his warm skin, instantly he felt better. He looked out into Ba Sing Se and wondered when the city would be free again. If only he had been able to defeat Ozai all those years ago... Since then, he had spent the last four years trying to find a way to get close enough to the self-proclaimed Phoenix King in order to defeat him and return peace to the world. But with half of every nation searching for him and his few friends and allies, he needed all the help he could get. Aang was desperate to find this man Iroh sent them in search of. It's the reason they'd returned to what was left of the Earth Kingdom.

A noise to his left caught his attention. It was a girl. She seemed to be crying.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

Using her sleeve, she wiped her face quickly. "I'm fine."

"You want me to go find someone in there for you?"

"No, I said I was fine," she said, then mumbled, "Besides, they're done with me in there."

He wasn't sure what she meant by that.

"Are you one of the girls getting married?"

She nodded, "I'm supposed to be, yeah."

"That's a good thing, right?"

She turned her face up towards him. He noticed two things: one, she was blind and two, she was beautiful.

"Sure, if you think your parents forcing you to marry a man you've never met and getting shipped away from your home to the Fire Nation is a good thing," she said, her voice dripping sarcasm.

"Oh," Aang suddenly felt really bad for her. "Have you talked to your parents? Maybe if you tell them how you feel…?"

"They don't care. As long as they stay in Fire Lord Azula's good graces, they don't care what happens to anyone else."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Why, it's not your fault the Phoenix King took over the world," then as though she realized the truth of her words, she added, "And even if it was, I'd be married off to an Earth Kingdom man I didn't know, so don't worry about it. Who are you supposed to be anyway? The in-house therapist?"

"No, I'm the Av—um..." Katara said no one was supposed to know they were there. If anyone found out they were back in Ba Sing Se, Fire Lord Azula would know they were looking for someone who could help them free the Kyoshi Warriors and security would be heightened threefold. "I'm...just a busboy," he lied.

She chewed her bottom lip and he could have sworn she was looking directly at him. Silence filled the space between them.

"You sure you wanna help me, busboy?"

"My name's Aang. And if I can help you, I will."

The girl was quiet again. Then, she took a deep breath.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen. Why?"

She didn't reply, but she liked that he was her age.

"Are you married?"

"Uh, no." What kind of question was that?

"Girlfriend?"

"No, _why_?"

"Maybe you _can_ help me," she said, grabbed his hand, and led him off the balcony through a series of walls and hallways. She told him to keep quiet because many guards littered that area of the palace. When they heard someone approaching, she bended a wall open and pulled him through.

He was surprised when he saw her bending, but said nothing. Instead, because the room they ended up in was completely dark, he firebended a small flame in his hand and searched for a lamp or fire pit. He found one in a corner and lit it up. Glancing around, he realized they must have been in one of the smaller guest rooms. There was a bed in the middle, a desk and chair off to the side, and a picture of the Phoenix King hanging on the opposite wall.

Thinking maybe she wanted his help escaping, Aang asked, "What are we…do...ing…" The rest of the words died in his mouth when his gaze returned to the girl. She had taken off the top layer of her fancy dress and was in the process of removing the rest of it. He found he couldn't speak as he watched the beautiful green and yellow dress fall to the ground and pool at her feet. She stood at the foot of the bed with only her bindings wrapped around the most feminine parts of her. "What are you doing?" he yelled, his voice high with panic.

"What's it look like? I'm getting undressed. You should, too."

Aang was blushing furiously and when he spoke, he tried not to stutter and failed. "W-What? W-Why?"

Her hands fell to her side and her head hung low.

"You said you would help me," her voice was tiny.

"Yeah, but I thought you wanted me to talk to your parents or help you escape or something!"

"And I told you they wouldn't listen! They don't care what I want. They think they're ensuring my safety by marrying me off to this Fire Nation guy, which I would agree is sweet except, it'll cost me _everything_! And if I wanted to escape, I could've on my own, I just…I don't have anywhere to go."

He tried not to stare at her half nude form as they stood there in silence. He didn't know what to say to her. What could he possibly say?

"This man…" she continued, "He's going to take it _all_ away from me, Aang. My home, my freedom, everything," she turned her face up towards him and she looked so dejected, so ready to give up, it made his heart ache. She looked hauntingly beautiful and it felt so wrong to want her when she was in such pain. "This…this is the _one_ thing I can keep from _him_. The one thing that can still be _mine_."

Aang moved closer to her and took her hand in his, "Look, I know this can't be easy…"

"You think?" she muttered sarcastically.

"But," he continued despite her interruption, "You're first time should _mean_ something. It should be with someone you love. We just met. I don't even know your name."

For a second she was very still and then she laughed. Loudly.

"Oh, geez!"

"What?" he asked.

"You are such a girl!"

All the sympathy he felt for her up to that moment vanished in an instant as he watched her laughing at him.

"No, I'm not!"

"Oh, yeah, you are!" she snickered, bending down to pick up her dress, "You know, I asked you if you had a girlfriend, but maybe I should have asked if you had a boyfriend."

"Hey! I don't—"

"Look, I'm not judging," she clarified, "If he makes you happy, more power to ya."

"There is no he!" Aang yelled. "And just because I didn't jump you when half your clothes was off doesn't mean I didn't want to, okay? A whole bunch of not so nice thoughts ran through my head, but you're in this distraught state because you have to marry someone you don't even know and I didn't want you to regret this."

Her laughter died down.

"You really wanted to jump me?" she asked.

"Well, you're gorgeous," he spit out, the anger and indignation still running through his veins, "I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't want to. I thought you were beautiful when I first saw you out in the balcony! And I'm sure you hear that a lot but-"

When she reached for his hand, he stopped talking. She smiled up at him, then simply said, "Toph."

"What?" he asked taking a deep breath. It wasn't like him to get so upset, especially not with someone he only just met.

"That's my name. Toph Bei Fong."

"Oh," he looked at her, then down at her hand holding his, "_Oh_."

"Yeah, so…now that you know my name...we can..."

Toph didn't let go of his hand as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

Aang sat down next to her.

"Yeah?" he croaked, his throat dry.

She was quiet again.

He turned towards her to say she didn't have to get married, that she could leave with him and his friends. She had said she had nowhere to go, but she could go with him. He could help her escape this life that was being forced on her and that she didn't want.

"Toph," he whispered, with a smile. He's not sure where he got the courage, but he raised his free hand to caress the side of her face. Spirits, she was beautiful.

Then, it happened. He's not sure if it was his doing or hers, but suddenly they were kissing. Slow and unsure at first. Her lips were so soft and so warm... Her tongue slid against his and things turned heated and urgent and there wasn't just kissing anymore. They were lying on the bed, their hands grabbing and pulling at the other's clothing.

Aang had never done anything remotely like this, stealing a kiss or two hardly qualified as experience, but somehow, his body, his lips, his hips knew exactly what to do. And he took his time kissing Toph, caressing her, loving the blush that rose to her cheeks as he did so. Spirits, she was stunning.

"You sure about this?" he asked one last time as he looked down at her. He wanted to make sure before they crossed that line. Part of him couldn't believe they were about to cross that line, the other part couldn't wait.

"Kinda late to turn back, isn't it?" she grinned.

But, he didn't like that answer.

"Toph," he panted, trying to catch his breath, "If you want me to stop, tell me."

"Are you always like this?" she asked with a chuckle, "'Cause I gave you the go-ahead the moment I took off my clothes, you know?"

Aang smiled and leaned down to kiss her. They stumbled through at first, hands were awkward, movements were jerky, but soon, when the embarrassment faded away and all that was left was desire, they got lost in each other again. Aang whispered into her neck and though she laughed at his pretty words, she knew he was telling the truth and that made her smile.

Carefully, not wanting to hurt her too much, he kissed her long and deep as he slipped inside her. It was like a hot, bright light had wrapped itself around him. It was warm and welcoming and he felt like he was home.

She moaned and arched into him.

"Aang," she said breathlessly and he shuddered at the sound of his name from her lips.

He always assumed his first time would be with his wife and in a way it was, only they hadn't been married at the time. But as Toph would tell him later, he worried too much about the little details. Besides, no one else had to know.


	3. Tatted Up

**What if there was no bending?**

**This one's a MODERN DAY TAANG! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>III. Tatted Up<strong>

"Alright, this is it!" Sokka said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them in excitement, "You guys ready?"

He opened the door. Suki walked in first and Toph was right behind her.

"Why do _we_ need to be ready, Snoozles? You're the one getting the tattoo," Toph snorted, collapsing into one of the first chairs she found.

"I'm ready!" Suki chirped, "Oh my god, Sokka, I can't believe you're actually going to do this!"

"That's right, babe. It's time."

"God, spare me," Toph groaned. "Tell me when it's over," she mumbled as she searched through her bag for her ipod.

Sokka had picked them up from school, for which Toph was grateful. She hated taking the car her dad sent daily to take her back home after school - it was a constant reminder that he didn't think she was capable of doing something as simple as getting home on her own. Just thinking about it pissed her off, so Toph shut her eyes and blasted her ipod.

Suki had missed dance practice to come along and support her boyfriend. Katara wanted to be there, too, but since her swim meet was in two days, she really needed to practice. But she promised to try and meet them at the tattoo shop once she was done.

"Oh, hey, buddy, I didn't even see you there."

"Hey, guys!" Some guy, whose voice Toph had never heard before, was talking to Snoozles. "So, Sokka, you finally getting yours?"

"Yup. How's yours coming along?"

"Almost done," the guy said proudly. "Jun's really good! It hardly hurts at all."

Jun ignored the praise. "Stop moving," she barked.

"Sorry."

"Can I see it?" Suki asked.

"Suki!"

Sokka sounded hurt and Toph snorted from the other side of the small tattoo shop.

"Not _all_ of it," Suki explained, "Just the parts on your arms and back."

"Oh, yeah, sure," he said and removed his shirt when Jun stopped for a second.

"Whoa…"

"You've been working out, Aang?"

"Aw, don't make him blush, Sokka. Don't listen to him, Aang, you look good."

"So, what'd the kid get that has Suki so impressed?" Toph yelled from across the room.

"He's not a kid, he's your age, Toph," Sokka explained. "And he got blue arrows on his arms and legs. Well, his hands and feet, but they go all the way up. And, then down his back, too."

"Pfft," Toph smirked, "What's so great about blue arrows?"

"Well, in my culture," the kid Angle or something started to explain, but Toph cut him off.

"I wasn't really asking," she said, stifling a yawn. Ignoring them again, she went back to listening to her ipod.

"Oh. Okay, then. So, what are you getting again, Sokka?"

"I was thinking about one of those…" and Toph didn't get a chance to hear because Suki was sitting next to her yapping about Angle.

"So, what do you think, Toph?" Suki whispered.

"About what?"

"Aang. He's cute, right?"

"Uh, I didn't know stupid was contagious. You really need to start spending more time _away _from Snoozles." When Suki didn't get it, Toph spoke very slowly, "I am blind, remember? What's with you people?" she muttered.

"Oh yeah, well, I meant, he sounds nice, don't you think? And, just so you know, he's super cute! He has brown hair and grey eyes and-"

"God, did Katara put you up to this? 'Cause I told Sugar Queen I wasn't going to that stupid school dance."

"Well, we talked about it," Suki admitted. "Look, we're all going. I know you're only a sophomore, but Katara and I are graduating this year! Come on, Toph, if Sokka's willing to go to a high school dance, I don't see why you can't."

"I said no. And I'm not changing my mind."

"Very well, Toph," Suki stood up and her voice didn't sound like its usual happy self, "You leave me no other choice."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Toph was tired of her friends always trying to set her up. So she didn't have a boyfriend, so what? She had more important things to do than worry about boys. The worst thing Toph ever did was introduce Katara to the son of one of her dad's business associates, Ozai Agni or something. They hit it off and since then, Katara's been on a mission to get everyone hooked up.

Suki walked over to her boyfriend. "Sokka, we gotta go."

"Go where? I'm supposed to be getting tatted up, babe!"

"I just remembered that your dad's coming back today and his flight arrives in twenty minutes."

"Really?" Sokka asked, scratching his head.

Toph would have remembered something like that, but she stood anyway.

"Oh, sorry, Toph, we can't give you a ride home."

"What? Why not?" she asked.

"We're going straight to the airport and Sokka's grandmother is arriving, too."

"She is?" Sokka asked.

Suki gave him an elbow to silence further questions.

"She is," Suki insisted, "But maybe Aang can give you a ride home?"

It all fell into place and Toph could have killed Suki, slowly and painfully, and she would, too. But, right now, she knew what she had to do. Toph didn't wait for anyone to say anything more, she grabbed her bag and headed straight to the exit.

Suki stopped her. "Toph, wait."

"Sure," Sokka's annoyingly happy friend replied, "I can give her a ride. Jun's just finishing up for today."

"Thanks, but I'm walking home."

"I don't want you walking around here," Sokka said, coming over to her. He leaned close to whisper, "Aang's a good guy. You think I'd leave you alone with someone I didn't trust?"

"But you don't even have to go pick up anyone at the airport. Suki's lying!"

Sokka gasped, "Toph! Suki wouldn't lie!"

"Alright, I'm done. Thank you, Jun, it looks great!" Toph heard him say before walking over. "I can take you anywhere you want to go. I'm Aang, by the way," he said extending his hand.

"Yeah, hi."

"You sure you're okay giving Toph a ride home?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah, we'll take Appa."

"Cool, thanks, buddy. Let's go Suki. Gran-Gran hates waiting in the airport."

Soon, Toph heard the beat up, old mustang roar away.

"So, who the hell's Appa?"

"That's my bike!"

"You're what now?"

"My motorcycle." They walked outside. "I'm glad I brought the extra helmet today. Here," Aang expected Toph to be right beside him, but when he looked, she was half way down the block. "Hey!"

"Look, Aang, is it? My friends obviously suck and I need to find new ones, but you shouldn't have to pay for their suckiness, so thanks for agreeing to gimme a ride and everything, but yeah, that's not gonna happen."

"Why not?"

Toph stopped walking, "Why not? Well, one, 'cause I said so. And two, well, really, that's all you need to know."

"You shouldn't be scared," Aang said, "Really, it's very safe and—"

"Who said anything about being scared?"

"I just assumed—"

"What? That because I'm blind I would be scared?"

"No, no! I just figured—"

"Fine!" Toph yelled, "You wanna gimme a ride? Let's go!"

"Okay," Aang smiled, "This should be fun."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, no one's actually gotten on with me. Sokka and Katara both said they would, but haven't yet and Suki said she'd rather jump off the tallest building I could find than ride on Appa. So, you'll be the first. It feels like flying, you'll see."

"Flying? Great." Toph secretly prayed it felt nothing like flying. She hated flying.

They walked back to Appa. Who named their vehicle anyway? True, Sokka named his mustang Foo Foo Cuddlypoops, but well, he'd done that while he was drunk and then felt bad un-naming his car, so it stuck. But no one else besides Sokka called it that.

"So, what's the first step?"

He gave her the helmet. "Put this on."

She sighed as she did so. He turned to look at her and swallowed.

"What? Is it on wrong?" Toph asked.

"Oh, no, um, it's nothing," he said, she just looked really cute. Really, really cute. "I'll get on first and now you get on behind me."

"Okay," she took a deep breath, "Okay." _You can do this, Toph_.

She got on and wondered how the hell she would stay on the stupid motorcycle while it was speeding along the street.

"There's nothing to hold on to," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Holy crap, what was she getting herself into?

"There's the backrest right here," he guided her hands to the thing behind her and because she didn't want to die, she let him. "Or," he added, "You can, um, hold on to me."

As if having her legs wide open on either side of him wasn't bad enough, now she had to hold on to him?

"Got it."

"Okay," he revved up the bike. It rumbled underneath her like she imagined a giant beast would and she almost jumped off. In order to keep calm, she kept repeating, _I am Toph Bei Fong and I'm not afraid of anything. I am Toph Bei Fong and I'm not afraid of anything._

"Hold on, Toph!"

She held on to the backrest for about a second, then said screw it and wrapped her arms around Aang. She wondered if she might be putting too much pressure on any of his tattoos, but since he wasn't complaining she decided not to ask. She did, however, begin to wonder if he worked out because his stomach was flat and as hard as a rock. She was glad he couldn't see her because she blushed a little when she splayed her fingers along his abdomen. Good God, she could feel the slight indentions that made up his six-pack. Toph bit her lip and wondered if it would be inappropriate to run her hands along the rest of him.

They stopped at a red light and she loosened her grip a bit.

"Pretty great, right?" he yelled over his shoulder at her. When the light turned green he patted her hand to let her know they'd be moving again.

Toph cursed the day Sokka met Suki and held on for dear life once again.

When they got to her house, she practically jumped off the bike and actually kissed the ground. Never in a million years would she expect to ride on Appa ever again after that, but as fate would have it, she did. Many, many times, in fact. About half of those, she actually enjoyed. The other half, she did it simply to be close to Aang.


	4. The Boy in the Swamp

**Disclaimer: Still don't own ATLA.**

**AN: This demanded to be written, so I'm adding it here since it's also a 'what if' of sorts. Also, I'm changing the status on this story from complete to in-progress just in case I add any other what if oneshots here. I make no promises that there'll be more though! ;) **

* * *

><p><strong>What if Toph (not Sokka and Katara) found Aang?<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>IV. The Boy in the Swamp<strong>

Aang's not sure if he grabbed everything he wanted, but his priority was leaving the note where Gyatso couldn't miss it (he didn't want the older airbender to worry too much). Once that was done, Aang found Appa and together they took off silently into the night.

While in the air, the young boy debated which of his friends to visit first. He was fortunate enough to have many all over the world. In each of the four nations, in fact. He soon decided on Omashu, where he was sure he could hide out with Bumi a few days (or weeks).

The weather had been perfect for travel when he and Appa left the Southern Air Temple, but once they were less than half a day away from Omashu, they ran into a violent storm. As they traveled across the ocean, Appa had nearly lost control and gone under water as Aang strained his eyes searching somewhere safe to land.

"We're gonna make it, buddy! Just hold on!" Aang yelled, trying to reassure Appa (and himself) despite the wind, rain, and sea water whipping them from all sides.

Just when the young monk was wondering if they were going to survive, he caught a glimpse of land just beyond the horizon. "Look, over there!" he pointed, guiding Appa towards it. There was something about those trees... a soft light... pulsating, _calling_ Aang towards its safety away from the raging sea. However, as they got closer, the storm only worsened and before he could do anything about it, both he and Appa were pulled down into the brutal waves below.

The thundering sounds of the storm diminished, muffled by the ocean submerging them completely as they sank lower and lower into its depths. Aang couldn't hold his breath much longer, but as he began to lose consciousness, the arrows on his hands and feet and head began to glow. Power surged through his small frame and somehow, with abilities the Avatar had mastered hundreds of times before and Aang was destined to learn again, he managed to create a giant sphere made of air and water. He wrapped it protectively around both Appa and himself to escape the pounding waves. The force with which Aang shot the sphere out of the ocean sent it careening straight into the trees, across muddied swamp water to crash halfway deep into an isolated stretch of hidden shoreline situated under rows and rows of giant, lush, green trees.

The Avatar, still in a panic for survival, added the soft earth to the protective sphere. Layer upon layer of earth swirled with air and freezing water, sinking deeper into the safety of the steady, unwavering earth, until the bright glow of his power could no longer be seen from outside. The swirling ceased and all was quiet in the swamp once more.

...

"You've gotta be _kidding_ me!"

The Blind Bandit stomped on the ground with her bare foot, shaking the whole place, but still Xin Fu shook his head unfazed. He knew the girl was good, but she was just a little girl and he wasn't afraid.

"Earth Rumble VI _will_ be in Omashu," he said with finality. Never one to explain himself, he made an exception this once because he knew how much of a fan favorite the Blind Bandit was. "I've already sold out an arena nearly twice the size of this one. Whether you go or not is your choice, but your belt remains on the line."

She cursed under her breath and muttered something about hogmonkeys, then stormed out. Once Toph returned to the solitude of her own room in her family's estate is when she finally worried. How was she ever going to get to Omashu? Had she been a normal girl, she might have simply asked her parents to take her, then snuck out once in the city so she could defend her title. But she wasn't a normal girl, which she was fine by her, after all, it was the reason she was such an awesome earthbender.

Footsteps approached her door.

What was her mother doing outside her room at such a late hour?

"Toph? Are you awake?" Her mother knocked gently.

As usual, Toph didn't answer, pretending to be asleep.

After dinner, she had been dismissed and sent up to her room since her father was expecting company. And now her mother was outside her room, which could only mean one thing: her parents had to travel for business purposes. Toph sat up in bed, her hands high in the air! _Yes_, she thought. With her parents gone, she would be able to sneak out, travel to Omashu, beat everyone at Earth Rumble VI, keep her title, and be back in Gaoling before her parents even returned. Sure, the servants and guards would panic when they couldn't find her, but they wouldn't dare say anything to her parents because they would get in as much trouble as Toph if anyone found out. It was perfect! Toph couldn't believe her good luck!

...

Toph couldn't believe her bad luck!

"This sucks!" she muttered. She was pretty sure she was lost. Damn it, she didn't have time to waste. Her parents were only going to be gone two weeks, two and a half if she was lucky, so Toph didn't have any time to lose.

After learning how to get to Omashu by asking the guards and servants random questions, Toph had a good plan in place. After she crossed over the mountain range that bordered Gaoling to the north, she would travel three days (at her speed) on dry, sparsely populated plains before reaching Omashu. They all said dry land. She made sure of it. Dry land. Dry! Which is why now, with a shallow bit of water just a hundred feet away, Toph cursed.

Where was she?

"_Man_," she groaned. Toph had been careful to avoid any people as she headed northwest, but now she wished someone was around so she could ask how to get back on the right track.

The worst of it was she knew exactly where she made a wrong turn. There had been a moment, however brief, where she sensed so many strange vibrations. For some reason she had been curiously drawn to that and traveled towards the strange vibrations. When she finally snapped out of it, she found herself in her current location. It made no stinking sense!

When Toph let her bag with supplies drop to the floor, a screeching bird flew above her head startling her, making her jump in place. The soft earth underneath her feet, the lack of warmth caused by the absence of sunlight, the calm pool of water not too far away, and that annoying bird? Ugh, it became pretty clear where she was.

_Damn it_.

Toph had overheard some of the maids tell stories about an abandoned stretch of Earth Kingdom land to the west: the Foggy Swamp. Parents, siblings, and/or cousins had all traveled there and never returned. It was said that no one lived there and no one wanted to live there. Because it was such an isolated area, everyone avoided it. In hushed tones, they added that it was also deeply spiritual, where visions of the past, present and future had ruined many lives. Toph scoffed, thinking it was a load of ostrich-horse crap. How could anyone know of any lives ruined when supposedly no one ever left the swamp?

With one foot she stomped on the ground, reaching as far as she possible to get a better idea of where she was. To the west, there was water. To the north and east, land and trees and not much else. To the south, she sensed something...different. Stomping on the ground again, she could see an outline of the creature. As she got closer to it, the picture of whatever was lying on the ground became very clear in her mind and Toph gasped.

To get a better idea of what it could do, she launched a series of small rocks its way. The thing on all fours started sprinting her way. Toph still didn't know what it was, but it was fast and was heading straight for her. Without panicking, the small earthbender set her feet and sent up a huge wall of earth between her and the thing. She wasn't sure if the wall would hold seeing as it made of soft earth, something almost like mud, but she tried anyway.

The creature crashed into the wall and sent globs of it flying in all directions.

"There's more where that came from," Toph smirked, despite knowing the mud would only slow it down. She needed a harder substance. When she sent more mud towards the creature, it snapped at her.

"Done playing nice, are you?" she grinned as she dug deeper in the ground, searching for hard rock or stone below the muddy surface until she found just what she was looking for. "You're gonna love this," she said, struggling to raise a huge ball of tight, compact earth. It wasn't easy to move which only made her more determined to move it. Finally, s managed to earthbend with all her might and tossed it at the thing on all fours. It yelped and jumped in the water, but Toph had already forgotten about it.

There was something strange about the huge ball she had just pulled out of the ground. It wasn't solid rock like she initially believed it to be. There was something in the middle that Toph couldn't see - the vibrations just..._stopped_. She tried to earthbend it open, but nothing happened. Cautiously, Toph moved towards it, reaching out to touch it. She placed the palm of her hand against it and it was very cold, like ice. Still, she could feel the earth interlaced with ice and she didn't know what to make of it.

"What are you?" she asked, taking a step back. "Well, there's only one way to find out!" She gathered all the rock and stone she could from around the area and bombarded the huge ball. "Come on, stupid ball...budge."

And then, it happened. It was a tiny crack at first, but as she kept earthbending, the crack grew, spread, and traveled in different directions all around the sphere. The many cracks deepened the more pressure she put and then it burst open.

"Toph, one. Frozen earth ball, zero," she laughed until a sudden gust of wind erupted from it and she took several steps back. She couldn't see it, but a bright light surged from it up into the sky. She could, however, feel the earth buzzing with power emitting from it. That's when she sensed those footsteps; faint, barely there footsteps followed by someone tumbling down towards the ground.

Toph ran and bended the earth beneath to catch the person. The heartbeat was so slow, she was sure whoever the person was, they didn't have much time left and she moved closer.

"I need to ask you something," came the weak, soft voice from a boy.

"What?" Her heart was thumping in her chest. When she snuck out of her home, she never thought she'd end up in the swamp listening to a boy's last words.

"Please, come closer..."

Wary, she leaned the slightest bit forward.

"Where are we?" he asked.

Toph swallowed. "The swamp."

His faint heartbeat suddenly skyrocketed and the boy jumped up. "We can ride the catgators!"

"The what now?" she yelled, startled.

"Catgators! They only look mean, but if you treat them nicely, they might let you ride on their backs."

The boy was obviously crazy and Toph felt foolish for having been worried about him. "How'd you get in that ball thing?" Toph asked, irritation lacing her words. She stomped on the ground to see if there were others with him.

"I'm not sure," he replied and he wasn't lying. Then, he seemed to remember something and jumped back in the ball, or at least she thought he did because his vibrations suddenly disappeared. "Appa, are you alright? Wake up, buddy!" Something Toph couldn't sense, growled. "You're okay!" the boy laughed.

Toph took another step back. "What is that thing?

"This is Appa, my flying byson."

"_Right_, and I'm Toph, a flying earthbender."

Appa suddenly sneezed and something warm and gooey hit Toph's shoulder.

"Great," she muttered, wiping the goo off herself.

"So, where you headed?" the boy asked.

"Omashu."

"Really? Me, too!" He sounded much too happy for someone who just climbed out of a frozen, earth ball. "Hey, if you're stuck, Appa and I can give you a lift."

"I don't need your help," she replied, picking up her bag.

He jumped down to stand next to her. He was very light on his feet and she was still surprised by the dainty, airy steps he took, it was almost like he was floating.

"Actually, you'd be helping me," he admitted.

Since he wasn't lying, she nearly agreed. "Don't think so, Twinkletoes."

"Ah, c'mon!"

But she was already walking away from the boy because she'd wasted enough time as it was. The boy, however, followed her and so did the giant, six-legged thing behind him.

When he caught up with her, she could feel his gaze on her face and she stopped. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like how?"

Toph crossed her arms and made a face.

"Well..." he sounded hesitant.

"What?" Toph snapped.

"Are you...?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Am I what?"

"...Blind?"

Toph started to walk away again. "Wow, you're not as dumb as you look," she said, sarcastically.

"Thanks," he replied, but eventually realized what it was she meant. "Hey!"

He sounded hurt, but Toph laughed at him anyway. He shrugged and laughed, too.

"So, what are you going to do in Omashu?" he asked catching up with her again.

"Earth Rumble VI," she tossed back.

"Sounds important," he said seriously. "You know, we can get there faster on Appa."

_Hmmm..._ Getting there faster did sound like a good idea, so maybe she should accept his offer.

"Alright, Twinkletoes, let's see what this thing can do."

"Great!" he said and jumped up. "By the way, my name's Aang."

Following his lead, Toph earthbended herself up and landed awkwardly on the big, fluffy monster. She couldn't sense much while on the saddle and started to panic.

"Okay, first time flyer, hold on tight!" Toph gripped the side of the saddle with both arms. "Appa, yip, yip."

Appa jumped, but quickly landed back on the ground. The girl let out a sigh of relief.

"He must be tired."

"It's fine by me," Toph replied. Every step Appa took, sent out vibrations that she was able to pick up on. Sure it was nothing remotely like what she saw when she walked on the ground herself, but it had to be better than flying.

"Hey, Toph?"

"Yeah?"

"When we get to Omashu you want to ride the chutes first or-"

"Hold it right there, Twinkletoes, I'm going to Omashu for one reason."

He nodded, remembering. "Right, Earth Rumble VI. I wonder why I've never heard if it?"

"Dunno."

"How about after?" She turned her head up towards him and he elaborated. "When you're done with that, how about we ride the chutes then?"

She supposed if there was time, she could. He was giving her a ride ensuring she got a chance to defend her title, after all. "Sure, why not."

"Great!" he laughed. "You're going to love it! And then we can look for my friend Bumi, you're going to love him, too, and then..."

Aang kept talking as Toph held on to the side of the saddle and closed her eyes, listening to him go on and on in his too happy voice, while she made sarcastic comments when she felt like it.

Neither could possibly know it then, but they would spend most of their days together from that point forward. Even after they ended the one hundred year war, they would be practically inseparable.


	5. Captive

**AN: This one's for nakala! Thanks for the suggestion! =D **

* * *

><p><strong>V. Captive<strong>

"What is so funny, Prince Zuko?"

Clearing his throat, the young man turned his sharp, golden eyes towards his uncle.

"Nothing," he replied, that ever-present scowl overtaking his features once again. Even the scar surrounding his left eye looked more menacing than usual. "I've given the order to return home."

Iroh nodded in understanding. "Perhaps you will rest now?" he asked.

Zuko glared at him. "I'm not tired, uncle."

"But you've hardly slept these past few days... The Avatar is secured below deck. A short nap will not change that, but it will do you some good."

Zuko was about to argue, but decided not to when he saw the hopeful gleam in his uncle's eyes. Since being banished, the old general had been his constant companion, spending nearly as much time playing pai sho as he did ensuring Zuko ate enough, got enough rested, and practiced his firebending. Since his mother...no one had... It was strange having someone in the family looking out for him. He found it oddly comforting.

"I'll be in my quarters then. Wake me in two hours," the Prince declared, then paused to add, "Please."

"I will make certain to do so," came the reply. The older man watched his nephew return inside with a lightness to his step that had long been absent.

...

Looking out from the long, narrow window in his quarters into the almost uniformly white landscape, Zuko stood tall and proud. The area was so different from what he grew up in. No color, no warmth. There were no lush trees and no ponds where to feed the turtleducks either.

The sun was still present of course, but it was a cold, distant, imitation of what lived in his memories. The temperature around him had something to do with it as well, he supposed. And where it had bothered him only hours earlier, all the ice and snow and freezing cold weather, it wasn't so daunting anymore. Currently, Zuko could even appreciate the grand, natural beauty of such a place. Because here, in this place, he finally found what he had been searching for.

He chuckled lightly to himself. Relief and an unrivaled sense of pride swirl within him. He was going home. Finally returning. Not as the once banished prince, but as the one who captured the Avatar. A corner of his mouth curved upwards as his eyes roamed the never ending scenery.

...

"So, I guess you've never fought an airbender before. I bet I could take you _both _with my hands tied behind my back."

"Silence," a guard ordered.

Aang moved faster than they had ever seen, running along the walls and ceiling. He took them both out with little effort and in the process freed his hands. When he rounded a corner, he came to an abrupt stop. There, in the middle of a hall, he saw an older man and a young girl arguing.

"I don't want to hear any excuses, young lady."

"But dad-"

Unaware there were other civilians onboard the ship, Aang inched closer, slowly. Being a monk he didn't care very much about fashion or the latest trends, but what the man wore looked expensive, even to his young eyes. The girls's dress, ivory and pale green in color, looked soft and silky.

"I still can't believe you did this!" the man yelled in frustration. There was a quiet, mumbled apology in reply. "Why would you ever think it acceptable for you to sneak into my luggage? Onto the ship!? What did you hope to accomplish, Toph?"

After a short silence, the girl gave her answer.

"I've never gone anywhere," she admitted. Her voice was distant, full of longing. "I've never even been outside the garden walls. And since you weren't traveling very far I thought-"

"That is quite enough!" her father interrupted. "I cannot believe- your mother must be worried sick!"

There was no reply to that accusation. Still, Aang couldn't help feel sorry for the girl getting yelled at. She sounded regretful and had apologized already. Plus, the young nomad couldn't fathom the notion that she had never been allowed to travel anywhere! _Nowhere_. How could anyone endure it?

The Air Nomads had the freedom to travel anywhere they wished. They would be miserable if they had to stay locked away in one place, never being allowed to see the many wonders out in the world. Suddenly, the unfairness of the entire situation filled him with sadness and something like anger. Before he realized what he was doing, Aang found himself trying to intervene.

"Everyone should be allowed to see the world. I've been all over and it's a beautiful place. I have - _had_ - friends in every nation," he swallowed past the lump in his throat. He was still getting used to the idea everyone he knew was gone. "I'm sure your daughter didn't mean any disrespect, sir."

The man stuttered, "W-who dares!?" But regained his composure quickly. "Who are you? Explain yourself this instant, boy!"

Uh-oh.

"I'm Aang. Hi," he waved one hand. Lao did not fail to notice the rope hanging from his wrists, rope that surely bound the boy's hands together at one point. There was only one reason Lao could think of for the boy to have been tied up.

"You're an escaped prisoner!?" he gasped. "Who do you think you are? And how dare you involve yourself in my family's private affairs?"

Aang gulped. "I'm the Avatar and I didn't mean any disrespect either. It's only that I overheard-"

"Enough!" The man didn't bother adding anything else. The fear in his eyes said it all. He was afraid of Aang, afraid of what the Avatar could do to him and his daughter. He had seen that look many times in his one-time playmates before he ran away.

His daughter, however...she wasn't looking at him. Aang bent his head to the side and caught a glimpse of her face and soon realized she didn't look at him because she couldn't. She was blind.

"You stay away from us!" Lao ordered, taking a step back and reaching for his daughter's hand.

"But I'm not- I really didn't mean anything by it!" Aang assured them, but they continued backing away.

That's when the two guards rounded the same corner Aang had.

"There he is! Get him!"

Afraid a scuffle with the guards would result in either the girl or her father getting caught in the crossfire, Aang didn't resist. His hands were bound again and he was thrown into the first room that required a key to lock and unlock the door. Because now that the guards knew the Avatar wasn't just some weak kid, they planned to return with more guards to escort the boy down to the brig. One of them secured the lock and hooked the key into his belt.

The room Aang was in was small. There was a bed and not much else. But that wasn't what bothered him the most. That whole thing with the man and his daughter, it didn't go so well, he thought glumly. He used to be so good at making friends, too. More miserable now than before, Aang slumped to the floor.

Out in the hallway, Toph left her dad's side.

"Which one of you locked the Avatar away?" she asked.

"Toph, what are you doing?" her father asked under his breath.

One of the guards stepped forward.

"It was me."

Toph followed the sound of his voice and when she was close enough, wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Thank you," she lied so convincingly she nearly believed it. "I was so scared." Everyone thought she was helpless, might as well use it to her advantage this once.

"Uh, of course," the guard replied, patting her shoulder awkwardly.

When Toph stepped away to return to her father's side, she carried the guard's keys in her hand.

...

"Toph, are you certain you're all right? We should return upstairs in any case," Lao insisted not waiting for a reply. "There must be a physician on board."

"I don't need a doctor, dad. My stomach just feels weird."

"You are my daughter. It is my duty to protect you and if I want you to see a doctor, you will see one. Understood?"

She didn't bother answering him, it's not like he would listen anyway. Instead, Toph simply sighed to herself and trailed behind him, like the obedient daughter her dad wanted her to be.

Lao Beifong did not like leaving his home. He especially didn't like traveling by ship. But on top of that, he abhorred the fact that Toph was with him. She was blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. So many terrible things could happen away from the safety of their estate. So many things had already happened.

Their ship stalled out in the ocean only a few hours after departure. Then a violent storm appeared out of nowhere. The waves and wind carried the useless vessel further out, deep into unknown waters.

They had been stranded for nearly two full days when the Fire Nation ship appeared. Whether being found by the banished prince himself was a blessing or a curse, Lao had yet to decide. However, he was very grateful he and Toph were on their way back to dry land. Because unfortunately, it appeared she inherited his distaste for seafaring travel - if her queasy stomach was any indication. In any case, he would feel better once his daughter was safe in Gaoling again.

"Dad?"

"Yes, what is it?" Lao frowned deeply not really paying attention. This couldn't be right, he thought, facing right then left. Everything in this hallway looked the same as the previous one. Same dimly lit walkways, same stale air, same metal doors every few feet. The place was like a dark, musty labyrinth. "We should be in our room by now," he muttered under his breath.

"Do you think what he said was true?" Toph asked her father as she mentally mapped out the route that would lead back to the boy again. He sounded so young. He couldn't have been much older than she was. Maybe that was what piqued her interest... Her parents didn't allow her to speak to many people and certainly not anyone her own age. Plus, he had claimed to have been 'all over the world'. Could it possibly be true?

"No, that wasn't the Avatar. The Avatar died long ago. That was a dangerous, desperate prisoner trying to gain our sympathy."

Back home, she had overheard the servants mention a being of mythical proportions on more than one occasion, but it never failed that they stopped talking about anything interesting whenever they became aware of her presence. Toph did know the basics: the Avatar was supposed to be able to master all four elements and he or she was supposed to bring balance to the world, but something happened to make the Avatar disappear decades ago. If that was true, it would mean the Avatar was much, much older...

So maybe the boy wasn't who he claimed to be? But...what if he _had_ been to all four nations? She could ask him what it was like in other Earth Kingdom cities or if the Fire Nation was as humid and hot as she overheard. Could the North and South Poles really be as cold as they said?

Toph had often wondered about these and other things and now someone might actually be able to answer her questions. The more thought she gave it, the more excited and curious she became. But one thing dampened her mood: why would he be a prisoner aboard a Fire Nation ship? What if her dad was right and he was dangerous? It's not like she was on dry land where she could actually defend herself.

"I didn't mean his being the Avatar, I meant about his traveling the world?"

Lao narrowed his eyes. In a short amount of time that boy had already given his daughter _ideas_. That was the last thing she needed. It was part of the reason he kept her so sheltered. Well, he was going to put an end to whatever was going on in her head before it was too late.

"I've realized something."

Toph's face lit up with hope. "You have?"

"Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on you'll be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day."

"But dad!"

"I'm sure your mother would agree that we'll be doing it for your own good, Toph."

She fought back the tears, but they fell anyway. That was how a pair of guards found them.

Toph and her father were escorted to their quarters then given orders to stay put. Dangerous criminals were being transported, they said. It wasn't safe for someone like her they insisted. She hardly paid attention to any of the exchange. Not her father's indignation, not the guards' apologies concerning the direct orders from Prince Zuko himself. She was too focused memorizing the lefts, rights, and stairways they had just walked.

...

Waiting until her dad fell asleep, Toph slipped out of their room as quietly as she could manage in the old, creaky ship. Rusty metal made a lot of noise, however, and she had to stop and listen for his steady breathing numerous times before she was finally out the door. Stopping midway down the hallway, she strained her ears intently for any footsteps, but thankfully there was only silence.

Normally, Toph didn't have a problem with her blindness. But being on a metal ship, as opposed to her beloved earth, she couldn't see a thing. Nothing. There were no vibrations she could pick up on. It was so strange, and as much as she refused to acknowledge it, incredibly frightening. Still, she made the rights and lefts necessary, then continued for another fifteen steps, a left, two short staircases, four doors, and she was standing before the boy's room.

As Toph made her way to him, she'd experienced so many emotions. Fear chief among them. Not only because she was walking blind in every sense of the word, but what if she got caught or lost. Worse...what if something far more horrible happened? What if the boy had lied? What if he hadn't been all over the world like he claimed? What if she was wasting her time wanting to talk to him?

...

On the other side of the door, the Avatar sat alone and dejected on the cold, hard floor of his cell. The only thing that put his mind at ease was knowing Appa wasn't out there all alone. His oldest friend was with Katara and Sokka. They would take care of each other, he knew it. What Aang had to do was figure out a way off the angry teenager's ship and back to them.

...

After Toph unlocked the door she took a step back. All she had to do was turn the handle now. Before she had a chance to do so she heard something, someone approach.

...

Lying back on the surprisingly soft mattress, both hands still tied together resting atop his abdomen, Aang must have dozed off. The constant rocking of the ship must have lulled him to sleep because he didn't recall feeling tired prior to being placed in restraints. But noises - the rattling of keys and then voices - woke him. Straining to listen, the Avatar could barely make out the two people outside his door.

"What are you doing here, little girl?"

Zuko. Really angry by the sound of it.

Toph tried not to let the panic show on her face, but she wasn't used to people sneaking up on her. The last time someone did must have been years ago, before she first learned earthbending from the masters themselves, the badgermoles.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she demanded, putting on a brave face. Whoever it was must not have seen here unlock the door, otherwise they would have demanded she hand over the keys. "And who do you think you are questioning me?"

It was the girl from before. Aang inched closer, pressing his ear to the metal door.

Zuko snarled. "Clearly, you can't see it," he hissed, "But you're on _my_ ship and I'll ask the questions."

Oh, so this was Prince Zuko, was it? Her small hands turned to fists at her sides. As much as she wanted to knock him on his ass, throwing a punch when she couldn't see meant she risked missing completely. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"You can ask whatever questions you like, Princess, doesn't mean I'm gonna answer," she replied with a grin. If he wasn't going to be polite, she didn't have to be either.

On the other side of the door, Aang chuckled quietly. Princess? That was a good one.

"Princess?" Zuko fumed, glaring at the small girl. He grabbed her arm. "You're just a spoiled rich girl, you don't know anything."

"Hey, watch it!" she growled, struggling to get out of his grip. "Lemme go!"

He didn't. If anything, his hold tightened. Crud. She couldn't let him take her back to her father! Not after what he said. At the rate things were going, she'd be lucky if her parents ever let her out of her room again.

Before she could grow more disheartened she remembered her entire reason for being there. Toph only hoped he was awake.

"Aang!" she yelled, pretty sure that was the name he gave her father earlier. "The door's unlocked!"

Zuko scanned the area. "What are you talking about!?" he demanded, grabbing both her arms and drawing her closer.

"Nothing," Toph smirked up at him. "Just needed the distraction to do this." Without a second thought, she rammed her head into his nose.

Zuko stumbled back at the same time that a door creaked open. Before he had a chance to react, a strong gust of wind sent him flying against one wall and then another.

"Are you okay?" Aang asked, rushing to her side. She was holding her head with both hands. "Did Zuko hurt you?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Princess over there just has a harder head than I thought."

"Thank you for getting me out of there, I owe you," he said, smiling at her. "It's Toph, right?"

"Yeah." For some reason the fact he remembered her name made her stomach feel queasy. But maybe it was simply being on water that caused that strange sensation to return. "Thank me later. Right now we gotta go," she said suddenly, grabbing his hand. "Someone's coming." She retraced her steps back towards the upper floors, but Aang stopped her halfway. "What're you doing? They're getting closer."

With her excellent hearing, she could hear the footsteps growing progressively more loud.

"Wait, I need to get my glider. Then I can fly us off this ship."

Did she hear him right? Fly them off the ship? He _was_ an airbender. That meant...he was telling the truth about being the Avatar. But more importantly, about having traveled all over the world. What would it be like to do that freely, go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do... that would be the life. That could be _her_ life. Reaching new lands, meeting old friends? What would it be like to _have_ friends?

Her face must have displayed her uncertainty because he started stumbling for an explanation.

"I only thought you could come with us. Why stay where you're not happy, you know?"

But he misread her surprise. It wasn't doubt but elation. Endless possibilities opened up before her. The decision was far easier than she expected it to be.

"Well, where's your glider?" she asked, making a brilliant smile appear on his face.

It was his turn to take her hand. "I think it's this way," he replied, leading the way.

"What do you mean, you think?" she snapped.

After searching a few empty rooms they found his glider. They had little trouble getting of the ship after that and even less finding his friends, who were already on their way to him.

"Aang! You're okay!" a girl yelled and wrapped him up in a giant hug.

"That was a nice bit of flying," a boy added.

"Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka. Thanks for coming," Aang said, then turned to Toph again. "This is...my friend, Toph." He gauged her reaction and when she smiled, his own grew. "Toph, this is Sokka and Katara."

"Hey," she said, a little self-conscious since she had never been introduced as anyone's friend before.

They stared at the girl in the pretty white dress, but soon welcomed her. Sokka was quick to mumble something about a new girlfriend, which made Aang turn red. Katara, happy to have another girl in their little group, graciously offered Toph a warm parka to wear over her dress because the arctic wind was unforgiving. Later Toph would complain endlessly, but in that moment, she didn't care about the cold weather.

While the others discussed where they were headed, Toph held onto the side of Appa's saddle and smiled utterly content. She leapt off that ship with Aang, leaving her old life behind to fly away into the unknown with him. Terrified and excited, she'd never been happier.


End file.
